


One Ring to Bind Them

by Arynphallia



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Happy Ending, I'm Bad At Summaries, Not Beta Read, Rings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2020-10-11 15:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20548511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arynphallia/pseuds/Arynphallia
Summary: It's a silly little thing, hidden deep in his pockets ever since a damp Cardiff basement. A small square box that contains a ring.She should let the ring go. Let it become a fond memory like so many other things. Take her lessons learned from Rose Tyler and move on. But she never will.





	1. Chapter 1

It's a silly little thing, hidden deep in his pockets ever since a damp Cardiff basement. A small square box that contains a ring. The ring. It lives there for months, years even, switching over with new bodies unlike so many other things those pockets hold. It's there so that, when he finally gets the courage, he can ask Rose Tyler to marry him. 

He never gets the chance. 

It stays in his pocket though (he can't bear the thought of taking it out) and sometimes, when it's been an exceedingly bad day, he'll reach into his pocket and grasp at it. It's no substitute for Rose herself, but it's better than nothing. 

He offers it to his double, just after they drop off Martha, Mickey and Jack. Just before he knows that this will be the last time the fully Time Lord Doctor sees Rose Tyler. 

"I don't want it." The metacrisis says, "That's a ring _you_ got for her. I want to get her something from _me_." 

The distinction confuses him, they are the same man after all. Aren't they? But he keeps the ring, says goodbye to the woman he loves again and loses Donna just minutes later. 

A year later, he regenerates and the ring box moves into a new coat. 

He reaches for it less frequently now, slightly more stable a regeneration away from the last time he saw Rose. The days tick by and he keeps count; it's the main way he measures time now, in neat little how-many-days-since-Rose-Tyler units. 

His counter gets wonderfully reset after he literally crashes into her on a planet he doesn't even remember visiting with her. But she doesn't realize who he is so he just smiles too brightly at her, wishes her a fantastic day and runs the other direction, already planning a distraction for himself.

It's only hours later that he realizes she was in the blue leather jacket from her dimension hopping days. He could have talked to her. Told her how he felt and it would have been fine. The timelines would have stayed sound and he would have gotten just a handful more minutes with her. 

He curses himself for his stupidity and falls asleep with the ring box clutched to his chest.

Soon after that, another ring box joins it. 

It's his fault that Rory is gone and Amy doesn't remember him. It's his fault he now has the evidence of two ruined relationships weighing down the pockets of his jacket. But it's not until the Pandorica that he ever actually regrets carrying Rose's ring (because that's what it will always be) with him. 

"I found these in your pocket. Blimey Doctor," Amy says to him as he furiously works to riddle out the Pandorica, "Do you make a habit of carrying engagement rings around in your pockets?" He looks over at her and sees her holding both rings, her engagement ring and the one he never gave to Rose. A flurry of memories rise in his mind of a pink and yellow girl with a tongue touched smile and both his hearts in her hands. 

"They're memories," he snapped, snatching Rose's ring from her. "Sometimes," he adds, softer now, "if you remember something, it can come back."

And oh Rassilon, is he hoping that Rose will somehow miraculously find him again. It's a selfish thought, he should just want her to live the rest of her life out with his double and do all those wonderfully human-y things the proper Doctor will never do. But that's not what he hopes for. In his selfish hearts, he's always wishing that Rose will somehow come back to him. Hoping that the metacrisis died just so he can have his Rose back.

Amy never mentions the ring again until a dangerous hotel and a discussion of faith. "That ring you have, the girl it belongs to, did she believe in you?" Amy asks. 

He chuckles wetly, "Quite the other way around, Pond." He says softly, slipping a hand into his pocket to grip the box like he had done multiple times throughout the day. "If I believe in one thing, in this vast universe, I believe in her."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote more because why not?

* * *

It's a silly little thing, the Doctor thinks as she looks out over the ocean, silly to have made it into the pocket of her new coat. Why should she continue to hold on to it? It's a ring she bought four bodies ago for a girl she's never going to see again. A girl that, if she had kept her, would be long dead by now. 

A lump builds in the Doctor's throat and she brushes the tears from her eyes. But she's alive and always will be. That's the one thing that can't be taken from her. No one can come tell her that Rose has died because Rose and her time stream were locked carefully away in another universe like a butterfly in a glass box, preserved but untouchable. 

She opens the ring box and looks down at it, remembering that moment of indecision after she had bought her new clothes. The ring almost hadn't made it. She had almost slipped it back into her old, torn up coat to be forgotten like the ring from River that had slipped off her hand right after she had regenerated. But then the thin gold band with the TARDIS blue sapphire had reminded her of Rose again, made her wonder what Rose would think if this new body with its bleached blonde hair and dark eyebrows.

Would she like the long gray coat and the fanny pack she carried now because, for some reason, clothing manufacturers didn't think women deserved pockets? Would she tease the Doctor again about being northern? Ask exactly how many planets have a north? Or would laugh and smile in the way that she did, with her tongue in her teeth, and tell the Doctor that it didn't matter what she looked and sounded like? Rassilon, the Doctor hoped she would. Liked to pretend she would. 

She should let the ring go. Let it become a fond memory like so many other things. Take her lessons learned from Rose Tyler and move on. Maybe even chuck the ring into the water go be forgotten. Her fingers tighten on the box in response, like she can't bear to part with it, because she can't. She's spent too many centuries carrying it, too many years letting it soothe the ache of missing Rose, to just let go now. 

"Fought a dalek today." She tells the ring bitterly, choking on the irony. "I almost gave this to you after that bloody dalek." More tears come and she hurries to brush them away. "Its was in that little market on Kastertalos. The one with the terrible chips." She chuckles wetly at the memory of Rose's face. "I still don't understand how they keep coming back when you can't. Maybe it's daft, but sometimes I wonder; when you were Bad Wolf and you saw everything, is this what you saw? Is this the best option we had? Because honestly, I'm not a fan." She swallowed and cleared her throat. 

"Of course, who am I to judge? Other options could have been worse. And I like to hope that you were at least happy. I was, for a while, still am sometimes. But days like these I miss you the most." She sniffed and looked away from the water, regretting having come to the ocean. But isn't that where people come to pine over their lost loves? It's even a stormy day that adds the perfect atmosphere. The space on her legs left uncovered by both her boots and trousers is chilled and would probably be icy to the touch, her nose is ever so slightly numb and she feels just miserable enough that talking about her feelings doesnt feel so painful in comparison. 

"Should probably go. The Fam is probably waiting for me." She says mostly to herself and slips the ring back into her pocket. 

It's not a long walk back to the TARDIS, but she can't seem to muster the energy to move. Blimey, she hasn't been this angsty since her tenth body. The Fam are asleep, they won't even notice she's gone for a few hours yet. She should start planning their next trip. Find some fun exotic place to take them that won't make her miss Rose. 

She's still contemplating planets, but of course, _ everywhere _ reminds her of Rose in some way when a warm body crashes into her, knocking them both to the ground. 

"Bloody hell, what are you doing out here at a time like this?" The person snaps, hauling the Doctor to her feet. "No time to talk, just run." The Doctor regains her footing and looks straight into whiskey colored eyes framed by dark brows.

She's pulled along before she can reply, still in shock. She knows those eyes. Has dreamed about those eyes every time she's slept for over a millennia. Rose -_ no, it can't possibly be- _ pulls her along around a corner and up several flights of stairs before sonicking - _ sonicking?!?! Since when did Rose have a sonic?- _a door open and pulling them inside. Another door opened and locked behind them and they were pressed chest to chest in a dark janitors cupboard. 

"Sorry about that." The person-that-can't- possibly-be-Rose says. "There's a-" she pauses, struggling for a word, "creature on the loose. I was running from it when I ran into you. I figure we should be safe here. If I can find the bloody light switch." She fumbles along the wall, searching for the light. It ends up pressing her further into the Doctor, who cant help but flinch back. "I know, sorry, tight space. Just let me- Aha!" The lights suddenly come on and the Doctor finds herself, impossibly, face to face with Rose Tyler for the first time in longer than she'd care to remember. 

Her mouth opens as she struggles to find something, anything to say. Rose smiled kindly, "Must be a bit of a shock, sorry again." A deafening roar sounds from outside and the Doctor startles, literally jumping closer to Rose. "'Sokay," Rose replies, setting a steadying hand or her shoulder. "My name is Rose, what's yours?"

"Rose." The Doctor croaks, unsure of what to say, how to communicate everything she wished she had said all those years ago, all the things she wants to say now.

Rose laughs, "Yes, that's me. But what's your name?" 

"I- I," the Doctor stutters. "Rose, it's me." Oh brilliant. Rose will totally understand that cryptic message, Doctor, nice going. 

Rose looks her over before her gaze meets the Doctor's and the Doctor has the slightly familiar and vaguely uncomfortable feeling that Rose is seeing everything she's ever done. Her eyes go wide in shock, "Doctor?" She breathes. 

The Doctor's started crying again but sees no point in stopping it this time, she nods through the tears and manages to say, "Rose."


	3. Chapter 3

It's not a silly thing to take Rose back to her TARDIS. It's the exact opposite of a silly little thing to lace their hands together and slip back out into the night air, nearly silent as the Doctor leads them home. 

The Doctor has enough presence of mind to ask what had been chasing her but Rose just responds that UNIT was there and would contain it and that answer is good enough for her.

They stand in front of the TARDIS doors and Rose pulls out her key with no prompting, the glint of the simple silver band on her hand makes the Doctor's hearts stutter. That's right. The metacrisis. Where was he? How would he fit into all of this? 

Rose steps inside the TARDIS and gapes at the console room, a surprised delight on her face. "Oh you are gorgeous!" She exclaims, gently stroking one of the crystal pillars and the Doctor can't help but smile.

"She missed you." She tells Rose, not entirely sure if she's talking about the ship or herself. 

Rose looks over at her and the Doctor know she hears the subtext. "I missed her too." She says it like a promise, like it's a statement of fact, of course I missed you is what she means and the Doctor almost wants to cry again. 

"So," Rose says after she's perused the console room, "Didn't know you could turn into a woman." 

"Regeneration changed every cell in my body. Why wouldn't I be able to change that too?" It seems basic to her, but then again, humans and their limited views on gender and sexuality. "Is- is that alright?" She asked, trying to hide her desperation, what if Rose didn't like this new her? What if she didn't want to stay?

Rose looked her up and down; a slow, appraising glance that made the Doctor want to fidget; then, that familiar tongue touched grin spread across her face. "More than okay." 

The Doctor blushed, it had been a long time since anyone had properly flirted with her. "Well, that's good. Anyway, tell me where handy is and we can go get him." She was still wearing that ring. A ring that _he_ must have gotten for her, unless she had married someone else. The thought made her recoil. No, Rose had loved her then. She would have loved the metacrisis too. They had been the same man after all. 

Any trace of teasing fell off of Rose's face and she cleared her throat, looking away, "He's gone." She said softly. "Died five years ago."

"Oh, Rose, I'm so sorry." She wanted to go offer comfort, to hug Rose but so far, the only contact they had was hand holding and she didn't know if Rose would welcome it. She might be more receptive now that the Doctor was a woman, didn't human women prefer comfort from other women or had that study been bogus? She wondered. And besides, she wasn't just any woman and Rose knew that. There were implications for contact between them. 

"It's okay. We were happy for a long time." 

A now awkward silence hung in the air between them, "Do you want to go to the galley for a cuppa?" The Doctor finally offered. "Everyone else should still be asleep."

"Everyone else?" Rose asked quietly. 

"Yaz, Graham and Ryan. They travel with me now. They're from Sheffield." She wanted to go on about how brilliant they all were, but now didn't seem like the time. Things still felt too fragile between them. 

"Oh, branching out I see, did London run out of companions? Or did you just decide to lean really hard into the northern accent this time?" She teased and the Doctor flushed. 

"Well, it's impossible to find anyone better than you, but I do my best with what I've got." The Doctor said before turning and heading toward the galley. What in the name of Rassilon had inspired her to say _that_? She had to be losing it in her old age.

Rose quickly caught up to her in the hallway, slipping her hand into the Doctor's and twinging their fingers together just as they had since day one. These new hands may be softer and smaller, but the spaces between her fingers were still just the right size for Rose's. She wondered if the two bodies before this one had been the same. No other hand had fit her's the same way, but would Rose's?

"Doctor, how long has it been for you?" Rose asked, breaking the silence. 

The Doctor exhaled sharply, making her cheeks puff out and used her free hand to ruffle her hair. "If I'm being honest, I lost count. There's around four and a half billion years I'm not entirely sure count because I was technically stuck outside of time. But it had been at least two millennia before that. And it's been another one and a half since. So at least 3,500 years."

Rose's jaw dropped. "Blimey, and I joked about the age gap before…"

The Doctor swallowed nervously. Rose still looked so young. She couldn't be more than thirty, which didn't make sense, now that the Doctor thought about it. If the metacrisis had died five years ago… but she had said they had had a long time together. She pulled them to a stop just outside the galley, "Rose, how old are you?"

She watched as Rose swallowed and glanced away, "Four hundred and seven." She said quietly and the Doctor's jaw dropped in shock. 

"What-" she started but she was cut off by the door to the galley being pulled open and Graham's started shout of surprise at seeing them out there.

"Blimey, Doc, what are you doing here in the middle of the-" his eyes went from the Doctor to Rose and his jaw also dropped. "Rose Tyler?"

Recognition bloomed on Rose's face, "Oh my god, you're the bus driver who gave me the lift home." 

"What?" The Doctor, Yaz and Ryan chorused. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I- I have no explanation for this. I go to write some happy 'let's end the story' fluff and then this happened. I kept telling Graham to stay in the galley but would he listen to me? Nope. 
> 
> Never really understood what other authors have mentioned about characters being alive in your head until recently.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, this has not been beta read so feel free to point out typos to me.

* * *

They head back into the galley, make more tea and settle around the table; Yaz, Ryan, and the Doctor peering at Rose and Graham with undisguised curiosity. Someone pulls out a new package Jammy Dodgers and Rose can't help but smile. She hasn't touched a package since her Doctor died.

Graham and Rose share a look, some unspoken communication passed between them and Rose started telling the story, "January 5th, 2004. I was working at this tiny cafe that had just been shut down for violating health and safety practices. My boyfriend and I got into a fight about money and he kicked me out." Rose can still remember exactly were he had hit her that night. Could probably point to where each bruise had been with startling precision. Her hand involuntarily tightens around the Doctor's, who gives a gentle squeeze back that helps her relax.

They'd talked about Jimmy Stone once, back when the Doctor had been all leather and gruff. It had been Rose's meager offering of shared pain after the Doctor had finally told her about the time war. Nobody, except him, had known the details of what had happened in the six months she'd lived with Jimmy. 

But the Doctor did. They'd curled up on the couch in the media room with tea and had slowly gravitated closer and closer, until she'd been curled up on his lap and he'd been holding her so tight she'd wondered how she'd still been breathing. But he'd shared the lowest moment of his life with her and though her life had been considerably shorter, she'd shared hers. Its had felt like a paltry comparison; an abusive boyfriend versus wiping out your entire planet. But the Doctor had understood what she'd been trying to say and Rose had never regretted telling him. 

Graham snorted, pulling Rose out of her thoughts. "Yeah, into the bloody snow with no coat, the wanker. I was down in London, covering for an old mate of mine and as I'm going along I see this teenage girl trudging through the snow. I couldn't just leave her."

"Told me to consider it a Christmas present." Rose says with a laugh. "And you took me to that chip shop and insisted I eat."

"You looked like you hadn't had a proper meal in months!" Graham exclaims. "I still can't believe you ate nearly a pound of chips."

Rose sobered suddenly. "I always wanted to say thank you. If you hadn't stopped, I probably would have gone back to Jimmy and stayed with him for the rest of my life. Not that it would have been very long with the way things were going."

Graham smiled, "Well, that's a relief. I'd always wondered if I'd done the right thing. Especially after Canary Wharf."

Rose just barely manages to not flinch at the name and she can feel the Doctor tense next to her. "Alright." The Doctor says suddenly. "I'm declaring it bedtime."

"We're not kids, Doctor." Ryan groans. 

"It is well past two in the morning. If you want to go anywhere cool then you need to be well rested." They all grumble and shuffle off to bed and the Doctor turns to Rose, "Come on, your bed room is still around here somewhere."

"Doctor, wait." Rose said, pulling her to a stop. "I don't have to stay here if you don't want me to." She looked down at her feet, refusing to meet the Doctor's eyes. 

"Rose Tyler, let's get one thing straight. I am always going to want you with me." She cupped Rose's cheek, forcing her to look up, "Always." She insisted, wanting to ensure Rose knew. There were more words she could say, a single sentence made up of three words and eight letters that would probably make Rose feel better, but even after all this time, they're still stuck in the Doctor's throat. 

It seems to be enough of a reassurance as-is though, because Rose's door suddenly appears at the end of the hall. They creep closer to it hesitantly, as one might approach a venomous snake, because neither can believe the other is real and separation may prompt the end of whatever wonderful dream they seem to be having. 

They both fidget in front of the door, still unwilling to part ways, until Rose, who had always been the braver between them says, "Do- do you want to come in? I haven't been sleeping as much as I used to and-"

The Doctor didn't give her time to finish, instead, in a stunning show of bravery, she cupped Rose's face in her hands and pressed her lips to Rose's. 

Rose squeaked in surprise before returning the pressure and wrapping her arms around the Doctor's waist. 

"Not that I'm complaining." Rose says breathlessly when the Doctor pulls back to let her breaths. "But where did that come from?"

The Doctor, undeterred by Rose's need to breathe, moved down her neck placing soft, sweet kisses in a line that makes Rose's toes curl and her knees weak. "Been a coward for too long." The Doctor whispered into Rose's neck between kisses. "Spent so much time worrying about how I'd have to get on once you were gone that I never allowed myself to properly enjoy having you with me. And then I spent the next three and a half thousand years missing you desperately and trying to avoid seeing you everywhere I went. Which never really worked. So I made a promise to myself that if I were ever lucky enough to get you back, I'd pull my head out of my arse and make sure you know how much I love you."

Rose pushed her away and the Doctor started to panic, thinking she'd been wrong until she saw the fire burning in Rose's eyes. "You love me?"

"Have done since the Gelth." The Doctor promised, reaching up to cup Rose's face. "'M sorry I was such a coward about it."

Tears were building in Rose's eyes, "I love you too." She said back, her voice tight. "It's been so long, and I've missed you so much. I never thought I'd find you again."

"And here you are." The Doctor whispered, still in awe. 

"Well, you know, I do six impossible things before breakfast. Stuff of legends and all." 

The Doctor beamed, "Too right." It's all too easy to lean in and press their foreheads together. "Don't suppose I'm still invited to have a kip with you, am I? Haven't slept for a few days and I might actually need it."

Rose hummed a twinkle in her eye, "My plans were starting to evolve past sleeping, maybe even incorporating some _ dancing _, but if you're too tired-"

"I'll show you tired." The Doctor said gleefully, pulling them both into Rose's room. 


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor woke up slowly from the kind of relaxing deep sleep she hadn't had in years, centuries, if she was being honest. She rolled onto her side and nearly jumped out of bed.  _ Rose. _ So it hadn't been a dream then, thank Rassilon for that. 

Rose stirred ever so slightly and shifted closer to the Doctor, a hand reaching out under the covers. She gave a contented sigh when the Doctor scooted into range and Rose's wandering fingers made contact with her hip, then, her grip tightened and she hauled the Doctor closer with surprising strength that startled a laugh out of her. 

Rose didn't stir though, so the Doctor took the time to analyze the new position Rose had moved them into. Rose was pressed fully against her front with their legs tangled together. The top of one of Rose's feet was pressed into the arch of the Doctor's and it felt nice, almost like they were holding hands, just with their feet. Humans and all their little fascinating ways to press their bodies together for comfort. 

They stayed like that for two hours before Rose finally shifted again, rolling onto her other side. The Doctor sat up and slipped out of bed, gathering up her discarded clothes and putting her undershirt and knickers on, then she went searching through her coat pockets. She had no clue how long Rose would be asleep and she wanted to have the ring out and ready to give her when she did. 

She finally found it, grinning down at the small box. So many years of being carried in various pockets had worn through the velvet in some places and she ran her thumbs over the thin places lovingly. 

Rose would accept. She had to. Wouldn't make sense for her not to. They still loved each other after all this time, that had to count for something. Even if she was still wearing her ring from the metacrisis. Should the Doctor expect her to take that one off? Move it to a different finger? Ugh, it was all so complicated.

But worth it. She firmly reminded herself. It didn't take much prompting to remember just how awful those first few years without Rose had been. 

"Doctor?" Rose murmured, still obviously half asleep. 

The Doctor dove back into bed, sliding between the sheets faster than she ever had before. "Right here." She slipped a hand under her pillow, leaving the ring box there so she could grab it when the time was right, or whenever Rose finally woke all the way up, whichever came first. 

"It wasn't a dream, then." Rose said happily, curling up against the Doctor again. "That's good."

"Dream about me often?" The Doctor teased, brushing some hair out of Rose's face. 

Rose hummed but gave no other reply, her eyes slipping closed. "Oi. No falling back asleep. You've had seven hours of sleep. You don't need any more than that." The Doctor whined, poking her ribs and Rose giggled. 

"Same old Doctor. Always refusing to let me get a proper night's sleep." Rose sat up and stretched before getting out of bed and grabbing her clothes. 

"I didn't say get out of bed," the Doctor flopped back onto the covers, frustrated that Rose was now across the room. 

Rose looked over at her and arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you want me awake but we're not immediately running off to some planet to stop some Dictator or another from destroying the middle class before I've even had a cuppa? Who are you and what have you done with the Doctor?"

The Doctor rubbed her face with her hands. "First few times I tried that with Donna she threw things at me. And her aim was surprisingly good. You never got to see but I actually had a small scar at my hairline from a pair of heels she lobbed at me."

Rose laughed and sat at the foot of the bed, it was an improvement over across the room, but she was still too far away. "Okay. I'm back on the bed. What's the big deal?"

"Why is it," the Doctor started, sitting up, "that whenever I try to plan something involving you, it all just falls to pieces?"

Rose looked concerned. "What do you have planned?"

"Nothing important." She lied, waving a hand flippantly. "It can wait."

"Right. And I'm sure whatever you've got hidden under your pillow can wait too."

The Doctor let out a high pitched squeak and scooted backwards until she was nearly sitting on her pillow. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Doctor, I'm four hundred and seven. A good majority of that was spent with you in some form or another. I can tell when you're hiding something." Rose twisted the ring on her finger, suddenly slipping deep into thought. "But considering how nervous you are, I think it can wait. I have something important for you."

“You do?” THe Doctor replied nervously, hearts racing. 

“I do. Well, it's more of a gift to yourself, I suppose.” Rose said, biting her lower lip in a way that was much too enticing for their current conversation. She suddenly thrust out her hand, palm up, and there in the center was the ring she’d been wearing. 

“I don't-” the Doctor started, not understanding.

“It’s a miniature matrix. All of his memories, most of them anyway. He insisted I’d manage to come back, even if I never believed him.” A small, rueful smile lifted the corners of her mouth. “He always said that I made you change your definition of what was impossible.” She looked up from the ring, her eyes meeting the Doctor’s. “You don't have to take it, obviously. He just thought you might want it.” 

The Doctor plucked the ring from Rose’s hands, looking at it reverently. It hummed in her hands, a faint telepathic signature brushing against her mind. “Rose I- there aren't words.”

Rose snorted and the tension was effectively broken, “That’s new, coming from you.”

“Rose, you’ve just handed me an entire person stored in a ring. How am I supposed to react to that?” The Doctor wondered, turning the ring in her hands, trying to figure out where the matrix was. She was eager for those memories, nearly desperate to see what had happened to Rose during their time apart.

“Well, ideally, you’d tell me you love me again and we’d have a nice snog.” She grinned, tongue caught in her teeth. 

The Doctor felt a swell of courage and stopped fiddling with the ring, slipping it on to keep it safe. “Or, I could do this.” She pulled the ring box out from under her pillow, opening it and offering it to Rose. “I bought this ages ago, never had the courage to give it to you then, barely to now. Because that's the thing Rose; I was a coward then and I still am now. I try to be brave and play the hero and most of the time, it works. I was always better at it with you around.”

“Doctor, are you asking me to marry you?” Rose asked breathlessly, tears building in her eyes. That was a good sign right? Women were supposed to cry at proposals, right?

The Doctor figiteted, tugging nervously at one ear. She forced her hand down and tried to cool calm, “Yeah, I am. Better with two, right?” 

“Of course it is, you daft alien!” Rose cried, launching herself at the Doctor. The Doctor flailed and just barely managed to keep her hold on the ring box.

“So is that a yes, then?” The Doctor asked, it seemed like a yes, but she wanted to be sure, needed to hear Rose say it.

“Yes! What would possibly make you think that I would ever say no?”

“Well, you were already married to someone else, and I’m a woman and it’s been over 300 years for you since you last saw me.” she brushed some hair out of Rose’s face and grinned when Rose mirrored the action. 

“I think I’ve already proved that I’m more than fine with you being a woman. As for the rest, he was the Doctor just as much as you are. And I love the Doctor. No matter what. Its as simple as that really.” Rose said like she was stating a fact, as if there was no other possibility. And maybe in her mind, there wasn’t. The Doctor certainly couldn't imagine not loving Rose.


End file.
